The Difference Between Blood and Tears
by Lupicinus
Summary: AU:He was just a guy, life wasn't too great with an alcoholic & abusive father until one night his world was turned upsidedown by a risky encounter. Now thrown into an ancient prophecy, Dallet doesn't know wth is going on. Dilandau&Slayers!
1. 8 of a Kind

**Hey!** I'm back from a long period of not writing diddly squat! Yes i am aware that i have not completed bang and yet ive started a new story, sry i cant help it i get bored with my older stuff. Dont worry ill be working on both of my stories it will just take some time for me to get back into the writing spirit, altho reviews always spur me on faster hint hint...this is a new and odd story featuring our beloved esca characters and some of my own characters. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE altho i wish i did. So anyways yes this story will hopefully be a new type of fic from what is usual. I hope you like it and if you dont then dont read it gowjo! So right then on to the story, any questions just review and ask meh. Until next time

**Chapter I: 8 of a Kind**

It was dark, extremely dark. In fact it was so dark that he had no sense of direction. He was left to himself, all alone in this quiet, dark abyss. He had no idea where he was. This place held no familiarities about it, well…Even if he could see his own hand right in front of his face he was still sure he wouldn't know where he was. The principle of light was one that he was starting to miss. Completely understandable if you were lost in some place where light didn't seem to exist at all. He could tell that wherever he was, it was huge due to the way the atmosphere around him felt. Speaking of feelings, he certainly didn't feel safe. Sure he may have tried wandering around, but his fear had gotten the best of him and he gave up wandering. Not like he could see where he was going. So there he sat, wherever he was, rocking back and forth on his haunches, super freaked out, disoriented, confused, and utterly, completely, and totally alone.

He was about to give up and curl into the fetal position when his nose told him something that smelled crazily wonderful was nearby. He shot to his feet and began turning about, searching with his nose for the direction from which it was coming from.

Bingo.

He staggered with his hands outstretched, groping around in front of him for anything that might be in his way as he hurried towards the smell…wait…make that smells. He stopped for a moment when they became extremely strong, assaulting his nostrils with eight different aromas. He took a deep intake of the exotic scents and shuddered at their fragrant glory. Sad thing was he couldn't put a name to any of them; they were scents he could never imagine the human race ever harnessing in a bottle of perfume, air freshener, cologne, or candle. Each possessed something that he could only describe as godly or unreal. It was as if the elements themselves had been harnessed.

He frowned when their potency lessened. _Must be moving away_ he thought.

Even though it was useless, he couldn't prevent himself from looking to his left and right. For what? Perhaps some sort of sign or warning not to go chasing after pretty smells that just might lead him right off the edge of a cliff…Assuming that this place had land formations of course…so far it seemed to be nothing but an endless flat plain.

He decided to stop arguing with himself and follow those scents that seemed to be just up ahead. Unsure of his surroundings, he started off at an unsteady jog. Finding that the scents seemed farther away now, he broke out into a sprint, his fast and heavy footfalls creating a booming echo in the pitch black unknown. He was not entirely sure of where they would end up leading him, but it seemed a wiser choice to pursue them, rather than stand around unable to see whilst having no idea where he was or how he got there.

Again they seemed to be getting farther away, and again he increased his speed, running blindly and boldly into an ebony realm that had no beginning or end.

How long had he been running? He couldn't tell, this place didn't seem to have any set range of time, though in his opinion it felt as though he had been running for hours and at the same time for only a few minutes. He also found it peculiar that he felt no indications of fatigue. Sure he was in fairly good physical shape but this was insane. He should have at least started to sweat or breath heavier, but he felt perfectly fine. His hearing was picking up something out in the distance not too far away. He snapped his head to the left and stared into blackness when a fizzing sound registered. What was out there?

"…I don't see anything…"

"…He is here somewhere…"

"…We're not the only ones who know…"

"…It's out there…"

"…I feel him…"

"…Too Murky…"

His pace slowed, who was whispering? At least…that's the only way he could describe it. Five different voices barely above a distant murmur and a low echoing hiss. And from what he could tell, all were female.

Conclusion: Not alone in the creepy place.

In fear of losing trace of the eight aromas, he still continued to run, but as he did so he tried to communicate with the whisperers. After all they seemed to know he was there but maybe they couldn't see him.

It was worth a shot right? Besides, maybe whoever was out there could help him. He tried to shout out, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak something stole away his voice, turning his would be cry for help into a mangled grunt. What was wrong with his voice? His hands instinctively went to his throat and he tried calling out again. No use, the result was the same, the same pressure on his throat; something was literally stealing the words right out of his mouth.

As they say, the third time's the charm. Again he took a deep breath and this time he managed to shout out:

"HEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

The force of the echo exploded in his mind causing him to collapse to his knees, groaning in pain as he clutched his ears. He clinched his eyes shut and willed the pain away. What the hell had happened? He wasn't sure but it felt like someone set off a thousand air horns right in his face. And why was he suddenly feeling drained of energy? His pain was forgotten when he realized that those eight smells were probably way up ahead of him now. He quickly rose to his feet, but moaned when a powerful tremor rocked his brain, making his ears ring and ache.

His breath caught in his throat when he felt the presence of several other people…or whatever else… around him. He looked around but could see nothing, but he certainly felt like he was being watched. It seemed that whoever they were had sensed his fear and his nostrils were once again flooded with the eight mystery aromas, but this time they seemed to float around him, smelling stronger than they ever had before.

Oh how he desperately wished he knew what they were, he also desperately wished that he could see! He reached out in front of him in the direction of a scent, his mind screaming with frustration at his blind handicap.

Something shifted in the air and slowly eight different spheres of astoundingly beautiful multi colored lights sparked into existence around him. He was awestruck as he gazed at them, eight different orbs, no bigger than an orange, floating serenely through the air. Each consisted of a different color, and all of them seemed to be able to produce their own heavenly light. Each was as bright as a star and their cores seemed to possess the depth of the universe.

There was a bright red one, it's nucleus like a deep red ruby flame that spiraled out into lighter and vivid shades of red. It had a shimmering crimson aura that swirled around the sphere itself, much like a fog or smoke.

And another, this one was a glittering emerald green. Its core glistened like a living jewel as rings of dark greens turned into lighter shades. The final ring was similar to the color of the sun shining through a crystallized leaf. This one's aura was a bright misty green.

There was also a maroon brownish one. The core of this sphere was a gleaming bronze color before it escaladed into deep rich browns and finally into a luscious maroon shade. Its aura was a maroon color that was nearly a rustic brown.

Also hovering close was a blue sphere. The nucleus was a brilliant sapphire, like a star of blue shining up through the depths of the ocean. Deep blues turned into light ones as a misty light silvery blue aura shimmered around it.

Erratically bouncing around was yet another one. This one's center was as if someone took bolts of lightening and transfigured them into a pulsating marble of energy, surrounded by a ring of whitish yellow and then melting into gray and quickly into neon yellows and purples. The aura was an electrifying yellow haze.

Another orb was swishing around like it was on a sugar high. Its core was a vibrantly bright pearl color. Surrounding it were three rings of metallic light browns, all getting lighter as they went out. The browns faded into silky cream colors and the most outer ring was a light tan, borderline white. The aura was the color of sparkling white wine.

One of the final two spheres gave off more light than the others. This one's nucleus was a searing light gold color with the intensity of the sun. Surrounding it were rings of dark gold that lightened into a single ring of light yellow and then into a yellow so light it was basically white. Its aura was a shimmering gold.

The final orb just so happened to be the orb hovering directly in front of him. Its core was a radiating black, a black so deep it seemed to go on forever. The rings around it were a lesser black that turned into varying shades of gray, first dark ash then into lighter gray's and finally into a luminous silver like the enchanting moon. Its aura seemed almost like an illusion; it was black for a while and then when the sphere turned a different direction it looked silver.

He snapped himself out of the trance he had been in and took this chance to scan his surroundings. Unfortunately each of the orbs only gave out about two feet of light so although he could see directly around him, beyond that was still an endless black void. He turned his attention back to the black orb that still hovered in front of him. These orbs seemed to mesmerize him; he felt lighter and stronger in their light. He also felt safe and protected, much like a child does in the embrace of its mother.

He reached an unsteady hand out to the glowing black sphere in front of him. As his hand drew nearer, the sphere grew brighter and more intense as little bolts of energy began to exchange between his hand and the sphere. The sphere shone even more brightly as the distance between them began getting smaller and smaller, until he was only but an inch away from making contact.

He covered the remaining inch only to be assaulted with the sensation of cold fire upon touching it. He recoiled his hand instantly and examined it for any evidence of injury. The black sphere released a chiming laugh. Yes it seemed to laugh…It then flitted around his head twice before shooting back to others who all began to float around him, a foot apart, in a horizontal circle.

Black: "…Careful mortal, in these forms we are pure energy…"

Red: "…Curious one isn't he…"

Green: "…We have found you…"

Beige: "…It is also closer…"

Blue: "…It would have heard him as we did…"

The voices sounded like someone whispering right into his ears, and he was correct that all the voices were female. Each one silky and smooth, almost like someone singing a lullaby. He tried to respond but once again he couldn't find his voice.

Maroon: "…Look, he tries to speak, hahaha…."

Gold: "…Speak not with your voice mortal…"

Green: "…Speak with your mind…"

Yellow: "…Earthly things like that require lots of spiritual energy in this realm…"

It sounded insane, but he figured they knew what they were talking about being as that he could hear them. He took a deep breath and reached out with his mind.

(Where am I? How'd I get here? And why am I here!)

Beige: "…We were in the middle of a seer session…"

Blue: "…A ritual of deep meditation to summon visions to our aid…"

Green: "…To help us and guide us with what they contain, be it past, present, future, or simply just anything…"

Black: "…A disturbance lingers, we try to discover what…"

Red: "…Halfway through we felt your presence wandering around in this realm, somehow you've invaded our visions…"

Gold: "…It is closer, it comes for him and us…"

(What comes?)

Maroon: "…We wish we knew, the visions said a terrible negative force would be unleashed…"

Yellow: "…It must be powerful…"

Blue: "…You are marked mortal…"

(What's that supposed to mean!)

Black: "…She's right, I see the mark on your forehead…"

Red: "…It's glowing brighter…"

(The mark! What the hell's going on!)

Gold: "…It's HERE…"

Blue: "…We must escape, this area is not secure…"

(What is…) He didn't need to see the thing to know it was close. Its potent stench made its presence known. The foul odor infiltrated his nose, exposing him to a stench similar to the one of rotting corpses and horrid filth.

Suddenly the 8 orbs shot away from him.

Green: "…Watch out mortal…!"

He tried to run from the stench but something clammy and chilling wrapped around his neck, constricting his windpipe. Unable to breath, he began thrashing and flailing, desperately trying to free himself.

Green: "…Help him…!"

Blue: "…What can we do, we have no powers here…"

Maroon: "…We are still weak…"

Yellow: "…It's too powerful, how is it so strong…?"

Green: "…Save him…!"

He felt himself drifting into unconsciousness. He tried to resist passing out but it was no use, he couldn't overcome the force suffocating him.

(Does…this mean I…I die…?)

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the 8 scents of the orbs, figuring that they would be the only comfort available to him in his death.

He chuckled. Amusing how in his hour of demise he finally could describe the unreal aromas.

The red orb smelled of a crisp summer day, spicy and powerful with the faint undertone of sweet smoke, like burning petals. He couldn't help but think of fire…wait…he was right, the aromas were the elements after all!

And the green one, fresh like the morning of a sweet spring day. He could distinctly smell flowers, fragrant and lovely. It had to be nature…so easily he could visualize an ancient forest teeming with life.

The maroon orb smelled of sun-warmed soil, rich and unique, almost like a deep red wine yet unexplainably wonderful. He reasoned it had to be earth.

The blue sphere's scent was similar to that of a recent downpour. It was refreshing and clear like a freshwater mountain spring. There was no doubt that this was water.

The yellowish gray one he was sure to be lightening. It had a cool but heated smell, but fresh and cleansing like misty storm clouds. He could almost feel the warm yet wet atmosphere of a stormy day.

The beige orb smelled of a newly born cool breeze. Refreshing and free with the smallest hint of something akin to the sweet and untouched air atop of a mountain. He supposed that this one was wind.

The orb of white and gold smelled pure and radiant. It was the very essence of a bright and beautiful day, crisp and deliriously enchanting. The scent was crystal clear, clear as a ray of the sun. This orb must be light, for he could think of no other.

Last but not least remained the black orb. It smelled of a cool dark night bathed in silver as its sovereign moon ruled the blackened skies. Mysterious and seductive with alluring smells he still could not name. He could feel his heart pounding just thinking about the thrill of the unknown. He knew the orb had to be the element of darkness.

"Aaaaghh…"

He groaned as the hand like thing wrapped around his neck constricted even more. He tried one final time to fill his lungs with air, but no oxygen came, and deeper into unconsciousness he slipped. Really a shame, he mused. If it weren't for him being suffocated, this experience would've been rather amazing.

He couldn't see anything now, but he could still hear the voices of the orbs, he could hear as the orb of nature pleaded for his life to be saved. He forced a strained and forlorn grin. If only he could've learned more about those orbs and this place…

Green: "…We MUST save him…!"

Gold: "…He's going to die…"

The orbs watched on as the menacing dark apparition proceeded to suffocate the mortal's soul. They could only imagine how his physical body would look like at this moment as it was slowly being killed. They all knew he was important in some way, why else would they have sensed him so strongly? It was not uncommon for the souls of mortals to wander this plane while on an outer body experience, but for a mortal soul to have wandered on to a level this deep and dangerous where only the strongest of souls could thrive? Impossible, but somehow this mortal had something special about him, something special enough to cause this unknown powerful entity to attack him so.

The orb of darkness had had enough, she had too many questions and she knew that this human was special. An intense blaze of dark energy swirled around the orb of darkness, and in a split second it shot forward, straight towards the humanoid black silhouette of the thing trying to kill the mortal's soul.

It howled painfully and staggered back as the Dark sphere slammed into it, causing a horribly painful sensation from the contact. It quickly regained its hold on the soul and growled viciously, swatting at the Dark sphere as it continually assaulted it.

Red: "…Help her…!"

The rest of the orbs rushed forward and attacked the being by slamming themselves into it, each blow powerful and painful. The attacks kept coming, and in a vain attempt to protect itself, the thing twisted and swiped at them like annoying insects. They managed to evade every attack and began to attack even more fiercely, until finally it shrieked in pain and collapsed, releasing the mortal's soul as it fell backwards. The entity, weakened and out of energy, could no longer sustain its form and vanished from the spirit realm.

He felt the air rush into his lungs and gasped for breath as he hit the ground. His chest heaved heavily as he greedily took in the air that he had been deprived of just moments ago. Speaking of which what had happened? He rolled into a crouching position and opened his eyes. Things were still a bit foggy, but from what he could tell all the orbs still remained and the thing that had tried to kill him was now gone.

He jumped back in surprise as the green orb appeared in front of his face.

Green: "…Are you injured…?"

He took a deep breath and rose to his feet, massaging his hurting neck, (Yeah I guess so…you guys saved me?)

Maroon: "…Here in this realm our forms are made of energy…these are our spirits…"

Gold: "…Without enough energy you cannot sustain form here…"

Blue: "…In this place, depending on how much energy you have determines which level of this plane you may travel to…"

Beige: "…This plane is very deep, one where only very powerful souls and spirits may come…"

Red: "…Whatever that thing was, it was an extremely powerful demon…"

Yellow: "…It attacked you because there is something special about you, it's not even possible that you can be this deep into the spirit realm…"

(But that thing is it gone?)

Black: "…You are safe for now, with every attack we absorbed some of its energy until we took so much that it could no longer sustain spirit form…"

He sighed in relief and smiled at the orbs, (Thanks, I'd have been dead if it wasn't for you…but I still don't understand what the hell is going on. One thing I know I'm watching TV in my room about to fall asleep, and then bam I end up in this fucked up place. It's all interesting but why am I here?)

Before anyone could answer, the area where the entity fell became distorted and hazy. A cloud of energy began sparking around it.

Gold: "…Quick! It's starting to materialize again…!"

Blue: "…How is it possible for that thing to regain energy that quickly…?"

Yellow: "…It must be a high demon…"

Maroon: "…This isn't good, how is it possible that we did not detect such a demon…?"

Black: "…It must be sealed away somewhere, but somehow has gotten powerful enough to materialize itself on the spirit plane…"

Beige: "…It's after the human, quickly he must go…!"

He frowned and staggered back as the thing was starting to take shape once again, (What the hell? Wait a second; I want to know what's happening!)

The spheres started swarming around him protectively.

Green: "…We are sorry, but you are in grave danger and you must go back to the physical realm…"

Red: "…You are a key in all of this, fear not we will protect you…"

Black: "…Now you must go! Will yourself back into your body…!"

(But wait!)

Blue: "…Go mortal…!"

(Will I see you again? This is the most exciting and scary as hell thing that's ever happened to me!)

Beige: "…You are in danger now go, we will come to you once again…"

He gulped as the black thing became more and more solid looking.

The black orb appeared right in front of his face and surprised him once again.

Black: "…Take this back with you to your realm, it will help us find you…"

He looked down as he felt something materialize in his palm. An odd and intriguing little ball of energy no bigger than an inch was in his hand. It looked like it was supposed to be some sort of item, but at the moment it was like looking at a severely pixilated and distorted photo, except for that photo just happened to be 3 dimensional.

Black: "…Hold on to it tightly, farewell now human…"

He clenched his palm shut around whatever it was and shook his head, (Are you sure this isn't all a dream?)

Red: "…For the love of…!"

The red sphere growled and launched itself at him. He gasped in surprised as it hit him square in his forehead.

Suddenly everything went black. The last thing he heard was a whisper and the enraged howl of the black entity that had tried to steal his life away.

…Black…

…Endless black…

…And now he was falling…

Did you like it? Lemme kno and review cuz i love reviews they're like presents on xmas! Well im off to go do w/e it is i do


	2. Into the Light

**Hey guys! **Oh wait, no one reads this story nvm LOL. SO I'm getting two boxer lab mix puppies i cant wait wooohoooo! like five in the morning...so uh, i'll keep the madness to myself haha, im outta tea, drat! CURSES! (sulks away)

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**Chapter II: Into the Light**

He screamed as loudly as he possibly could, which wasn't exactly a smart idea because again he felt drained of energy as well as the exploding pain. He was falling fast now… alone and disoriented. The spheres as well as that thing had vanished into darkness. All that remained now was an endless abyss. Again he was blind, and had no idea where he was. Without the beautiful warmth that the elemental orbs gave him, he felt cold, frightened, and wishing that they were at his side to protect him.

(Someone help me!) He cried out, using his mind just as the orbs had instructed him to. He was afraid of what might answer his call, but he was hopeful it would be something like the orbs…. or the orbs themselves.

No answer came from his surroundings. Anxiety was taking hold of him fast.

He continued to plummet downwards into a void of black. Where would he end up? He had no idea. All he could see was black, a color that he was starting to hate. All he could hear was his screams and pounding heart, and all that he felt was the rushing air and the fear of what would end up breaking his horrendous fall.

He felt tears of desperation spill from his eyes. It was useless, those orbs had saved his life only for him to fall to his death. How unfair it seemed to him. Everything in his life seemed like a joke now that he knew that this world had been in existence. And to think that if this world did indeed exist, what else was out there?

He shook his head to rid himself of his tears. Crying about his predicament would only screw him over in the end. He had to think of how to save himself now, how to…_wait a second! _He thought, _why would the orbs purposefully send me here knowing that this would happen? After all they seemed to know a lot about this place._

A smile of relief crossed his face and he clenched the item in his hand with confidence. He knew that if they had taken the trouble to spare his life from that creature, they certainly would not have sent him here to fall to his death. So that meant he **would** walk away from this…but from where would he walk away? Would he eventually stop falling? Or perhaps he would be saved? He wasn't sure of anything, but he was sure that if he made it out of this situation alive, he would never again make fun of his little cousin who screamed and cried if he didn't have a night-light. He wished he had a night-light right about now…

He squinted as he spotted something below him very far away. His heart skipped a beat thinking that maybe it was one of the orbs. It was barely there, but there was definitely something down there giving off some sort of light. Upon further staring he realized that it was far too big to be one of the orbs. What was it? He squinted harder, a bluish glow of some sort, he couldn't tell. It was like trying to look at a glow in the dark sticker that hadn't been charged in the sun enough. It started to mildly pulsate and grow brighter. What the hell was that thing?

As he fell further, it seemed that he was getting closer to it. Now it appeared to be shaped like a human, only it looked hazy and shimmering, giving off a brilliant blue glow.

He gasped and shut his eyes, holding his arms out in front of him protectively as he suddenly felt the rushing air stop, signifying that his fall was about to end. His heart was beating a mile a minute, knowing that soon he would be crushed from the height of the fall.

He cried out when he hit something solid. He felt like he was going to have a heart attack, for a second there he was sure he was going to die.

(I'm…I'm OK!) He started laughing nervously; happy that whatever broke his fall didn't end up killing him.

Speaking of what broke his fall…. what exactly DID he land on? It felt odd and made his body tingle. He took a deep breath as he still remained in the same position he landed in, and grasped what was beneath him with his hand. He quickly flinched and pulled it away when he was greeted with what felt like warmth and cold at the same time. Again he placed his hand on the surface, this time allowing himself to adjust to the odd sensations. Whatever it was, it felt like some sort of soft cushy mattress, solid but pudgy at the same time.

(A barrier of some sort?) He thought.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked down. Apparently this barrier was made out of energy. It moved like a thick churning ocean of bluish green, and every time he touched it, ripples scattered out from the area of contact. How come he didn't see this when he was falling? He looked around him and found that this barrier seemed to go on forever, filling the area around him in brilliant blue light. It was fascinating and beautiful, but there was something that told him he had to get past this wall. Something on the other side was calling to him.

Without even realizing what he was doing, he rolled onto his knees and stared at the barrier beneath him with determined eyes. He could almost see through it, that blue shell shaped like a human was only a few yards away. Oddly enough the thing's face, although nothing more than coursing blue energy, looked strangely familiar. He returned his attention to the task at hand, and placed both hands down on the surface, arms locked straight (The hand containing the object still clenched shut). His brow furrowed in determination, and calling forth whatever energy he had left, he pressed down.

He gasped when all of a sudden he started sinking into it. He was scared, but something was calling out to him from the other side; he knew he had to cross over this wall of energy and get to whatever it was. He closed his eyes and pushed through completely.

He screamed as he passed through it, his body feeling like it was being poked with billions of hot needles. It seemed that this place was full of painful challenges he had to overcome. By God he wished the orbs were with him to help him through this.

The burning stopped, but he was still shuddering from the shock of it. He calmed down and realized that he felt very very odd, almost like being underwater, but accompanied by the sensation you feel when you're being flipped upside down. He slowly opened his eyes; what he saw made his stomach drop.

(Impossible! How…how could this be happening!)

Beneath him was the blue vessel shaped like a human, but now it was no longer hazy looking, in fact it was very solid… In fact …it was him! Apparently he was hovering in HIS room, over HIS body that still slumbered peacefully in bed just as he had remembered it before he woke up in that hellish place with no light. He quickly scanned his room, finding that it was indeed his. Except everything in it seemed to be glowing oddly like some sort of freaked up fantasy sci fi world. He moaned and held his aching head as he took the chance to examine himself.

It was his face, the face he knew from years of looking in mirrors and seeing in pictures. It was the same pale yet dark brown hair with the faintest tint of lavender that ended right before his shoulders. He recognized his messy bangs gathered over his right eye…. his eyes…he was sure that if they were open they'd be the same light brownish lilac color that he had known all his life. His face still had a slight feminine look to it, but he was still good looking. He looked beyond his face and down to his body. Slim and muscular like it had always been thanks to 4 years of running and throwing for his school's track team. He wondered how long it'd last since he had quit just this year. After all, he had a horrible sweet tooth and was bound to gain a few pounds if he didn't watch himself. How unreal it seemed to be seeing himself like this. Sure mirrors and photographs showed him what he looked like, but to be able to see himself as another person would…he had to admit he looked pretty damn good.

He growled and threw his arms up in anger, (What the fuck! This can't be happening, I'm hovering in my room over my body, oh god please don't tell me I'm dead…oh god…oh god…)

Again he stared at his body sleeping in a tangled up mess of covers. Wait…his body was still sort of glowing blue! He felt like screaming, nothing was making any sense to him. Only a ghost or a spirit could float around like this…wait…

(Maybe…. maybe I'm having an…what are they called…an… outer body experience! Yes, the orbs said that they were in spirit form, so…that must mean that I too am in my spirit form…. but how do I get back in my body…?)

He focused on his astral body and willed it to hover over his physical one. He grinned widely when he felt himself slowly drifting towards the area he had desired. Once he was hovering horizontally over his body, he realized that it had been his own body that was calling him. His body had been calling his soul back to it! The very thought fascinated him to know ends.

Deciding to give it a shot, he took a deep breath and concentrated hard. Taking one last glance at the glowing world around him, he closed his eyes and let the gravity of his body pull his soul back into it.

…. He was falling again, this time super fast, so fast he felt like the wind was knocked out of him…

…Faster…

…Faster…

Dallet shot straight up in bed and screamed at the top of his lungs, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He frantically looked around his room, shocked and disoriented by all that had happened. His right hand quickly went to his face, feeling his sweaty and clammy skin making sure it was all still intact. He hurriedly ripped the covers off and leapt out of bed, spinning around and examining the rest of his body for any signs of damage.

He sighed in relief when he saw nothing out of the ordinary, "Holy shit…"

He rushed over to his door, just about to open it when suddenly his mother burst in, hitting him right in the face with the back of the door.

"Dallet what's wrong!" her face was contorted in worry over her son's well being.

He reeled in pain and staggered backwards, clutching his now bleeding nose, "Jesus Christ mom! That really fucking hurt!"

His mother decided to ignore his swearing and instead proceeded to check over her son, "What happened? Why'd you scream? Are you ok?" She grabbed his chin and inspected his face with worried eyes. She tenderly touched his nose causing him to whimper and pull away, "Dallet your neck is bruised! What happened?"

He pushed past her and down the hall into the bathroom. He flicked on the light and took a seat on the toilet, grabbing a handful of toilet paper to clog his nose with until it decided to stop bleeding. He tentatively felt his neck and cringed at the pain.

(Shit, how will I explain that a huge black thing was trying to suffocate me …?)

His mother appeared in the doorway, "What happened?"

He looked up at her incredulously, "Mom! You only hit me in the face with my door! What did you think happened? I got jumped by the tooth fairy?"

She rolled her eyes, "No you idiot why did you scream!"

Dallet's face went pale and he decided to admire the navy décor of his bathroom.

His mother pushed her long dark brown purplish hair behind her ears and stared at him knowingly, "Dallet, I know something's wrong, was it a dream, something else…Oh my God Dallet how did you get that horrible bruise around your neck!"

He sighed and stared up at the ceiling, but gagged and quickly looked back down when he felt the blood going down his throat, "I-I'm fine mom, really. I don't know about the bruise but it was just a bad dream, I felt like I was falling and it startled me…"

Cassandra took a deep sigh of relief and walked over to him, running her hands affectionately through his messy locks, "Don't worry dear, you were just having an out of body experience. I read it in a book once that when people feel like they're falling right before they wake up, it's because their spirit is returning from an out of body experience and going back into their body."

Dallet shuddered at how accurate she was to what actually had happened, "Hehe, sure mom, whatever you say…out of body experience…right…"

Cassandra smiled and her eyes fell on her son's clenched hand, "What have you got in your hand?"

Dallet stared up at her confused and followed her stare to his clenched left hand, "Oh uh…it's…um…" He had no clue to be honest, so he slowly extended his palm to see what he was holding.

Cassandra gasped, "Oh my, what a gorgeous earring! Where'd you get it Dallet?" She quickly snatched it out of his hand and held it up to the light.

Dallet was shocked, evidently all that had happened to him wasn't a dream…it actually happened…

Cassandra's piercing light blue eyes regarded Dallet with suspicion, "Dallet…" She started in a heeding manner.

He rolled his eyes and decided to tell the partial truth, "Alright alright! A…girl…gave it to me…"

Her eyes widened and she returned her attention to the earring that she was still holding up to the light, trying to picture the kind of girl that would give this sort of earring to her son. It was beautifully crafted, a custom piece, something you'd get from a master jeweler. It was made for the lower piercings one would get in their ears. The part that went in the ear was a small sturdy black hoop, almost an inch in diameter. Attached to that part was another much tinier black ring. From the smaller ring, some sort of semi thick black metal spiraled down in intricate details and encircled a good-sized jewel sphere of gleaming crimson, coiling around it, but leaving most of it visible. Upon closer inspection, Cassandra found that there was something within the core of the odd jewel. She squinted hard as she tried to determine what it was; it looked like a teeny tiny round fragment of something remarkably shiny, in fact it looked like it was glowing but she just assumed that it was an optical illusion. All together the earring was an inch and a half long.

Cassandra sighed and handed the earring back to Dallet, who in turn began his own inspection of it once it reached his palm.

She placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow, "So who is this mystery girl. Obviously she must like you a lot to give you a custom made earring."

Dallet stared at his mother quizzically, "Who says it was custom made?"

Cassandra snorted and snatched away the bloody toilet paper wad Dallet had been using to hold his nose with and threw it in the little waste bin beside the sink, "Does it still hurt?"

He lightly ran his finger over his nose to find out, "Nah, but I think it'll be black and blue."

She grabbed his chin and tilted his head upward towards her and examined his nose, then scrutinized his badly bruised neck, "Dallet, it looks like someone tried to strangle you…"

He pulled out of her grasp and scratched his head, quickly thinking up a believable excuse, "Well…it wasn't there when I crashed so I guess I must've done it to myself when I was asleep. Maybe my blanket got wrapped around my neck, who knows."

She sighed and folded her arms across her chest, "Well if you say so, but if I find out otherwise you're in big trouble."

He laughed nervously and stood up, now gaining a four-inch height difference over his mother, "Come on mom, like I'd try to kill myself. As handsome as I am I'd be a fool to even think about taking my life away."

His mother laughed and smacked him playfully on the arm, "Well you never did answer me about the girl who gave you the earring, who is she?"

Dallet groaned and walked past his mother with the intent of returning to his room, "Honestly mom, why are you always like this?"

Cassandra turned off the bathroom light and entered the hallway, "Be reasonable! It's my duty to wonder about these things. If you do have a girlfriend I would at least like to meet her Dallet!"

Dallet stopped before going into his bedroom, "I don't have a girlfriend, the girl who gave this to me…she's…um…she gave it to me as a friendship present."

Cassandra sighed and tightened the sash on her hunter green robe, "Well…I hope you thanked her, that little trinket is probably worth some money being custom made and all."

Dallet slapped his forehead, "Who said it was custom made!"

She smiled, "Because my dear son, from the weight, materials used, and amount of work put it into its design, it's definitely not something you could buy at any old jewelry store," She looked at the clock on the wall, "Well getting up at 5:00 on a Wednesday morning is something I don't want becoming a habit. You have school in a few hours so you still have time to sleep some more if you want."

Dallet shook his head, "Nah, with all the excitement there's no chance I can fall back asleep…"

His mother nodded and turned to head back to her own bedroom. Dallet was watching her go when he noticed she was limping.

His eyes darkened, "Mom!"

She stopped and looked over her shoulder smiling, "Yes hon?" Her smile quickly vanished when she saw the angry and knowing look on her son's face.

Dallet started towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders, making his voice barely above a whisper, "Mom…did he hurt you again…?"

Dallet watched as his mother's eyes saddened and her head dropped down shamefully, "Dallet…I told you before not to get involved. Your father was drunk and had a bad day at work. It was my own fault…"

Dallet sneered, "Don't defend him mom! You can't let him treat you like this! What did he do…tell me!"

Cassandra tried to pull away but Dallet's grip kept her in place, "He…he got angry and pushed me down the deck stairs…I hurt my leg on the way down that's all…" at this point Dallet had every intention of barging into his parents' room and murdering his father, "Dallet no! Dallet! Dallet stop!"

Cassandra quickly blocked her son's path, "Dallet no! He's your father!"

Dallet was seething, "He's no father of mine! I'll never accept being the offspring of that monster! If he touches you again I swear to God I'll kill him. You can't keep forgiving him mom!"

Cassandra grasped his arms firmly, tears threatening to spill, "NO Dallet! I love you…and I love him too! No matter what he does to me I can't just erase my feelings for him! Please, he'll get better! I know it!"

Dallet hated seeing his mother like this, he hated it even more knowing that it was his father's fault, "Mom…you said that three month's ago and I still see new bruises on you almost every other day! Hell, you even had a black eye last week! This can't go on! I can't take it any more!"

His mother buried her face in his black T-shirt and sobbed, "Please Dallet, I'll never be able to leave him I love him! Please understand! Our family was wonderful; I know we can have that again! I couldn't handle losing you or your father…please…please Dallet don't make things worse…I want us all to be happy…You two are my boys, and I never want to be without you. I will always love your father, let me handle this Dallet, he'll get better I know it…I know it…"

Dallet grimaced and embraced his mother, resting his head on top of hers as he rubbed her back reassuringly, "Mom I can't stand seeing you like this, it has to stop. I'll call the police if I have to. I'll give it a few more weeks, if things don't shape up, I won't stand around anymore while he gets away with abusing you."

She sniffled and lifted her head, taking a step back to admire her son, "You've grown so much, and to think it was just yesterday I remember when you were little and running around in cute little overalls playing in the sandbox at the park. I know this is hard on us, but we'll pull through. Despite what you think now, he is still your father…Will you let me handle this Dallet?"

Sighing defiantly, he slowly nodded and looked away, the hate for his father evident in his eyes, "For now…"

Cassandra smiled and kissed his cheek, "I love you son, and I'll see you later…" She wiped the remains of her tears away and disappeared inside her room, shutting the door with a silent click.

Dallet stared at the door scowling. He knew his father was probably in there, the stench of alcohol still heavy on his putrid breath from the previous night. Dallet wanted to give him a piece of his mind, but for the sake of his mother, he would pretend that their family was happy, that his father didn't come home drunk every night. He would pretend he didn't see the welts and bruises all over his mother's beautiful form; he would pretend that his father wasn't an abusive asshole who hit a devoted wife that still loved him after everything he put her through.

With a defeated sigh he turned and entered his room. After shutting his door he leaned against it, solemnly looking down into his palm at the piece of jewelry that rested there. It truly was a good-looking earring. His mind wandered back to his little experience. How crazy it all seemed, but at the same time it was mind blowing and amazing. He smiled and went to put it on.

As soon as he got it on he was filled with an odd feeling. Suddenly everything seemed more defined. He closed his eyes; he could smell the fragrance of his mother's bouquet all the way down on the dining room table. He could also distinctly hear the breathing of his wired haired Dachshund Yoyo, no doubt laying by the back screen door waiting for the sun to come up so he could catch some rays. His eyes snapped opened and his heart raced; what was happening? Obviously that earring was special. He felt more in tuned with what was around him, and to tell the truth he rather liked it.

He walked over to his big window and opened the blinds. He stared over the neighborhood he lived in, searching for something…anything. He wasn't sure. It was still dark outside but not nearly as dark as that place, "They said the earring would help them find me…but how will I know it's them…How will…Gaah I don't know…"

He moaned and trudged towards his closet, school was going to start in a few hours and he had no idea how he was going to get through the school day with everything that had taken place in the last couple hours.

* * *

So uh, chpt three is giving me huge troubles so uh, it'll be awhile. Haha...so anyway it's like five in the morning! Lol, i see happy rainbows and boy do they taste good! Lol, wow, this cottage cheese that i added mustard to...yea the mustard is spicy and it burnses it burnses!...leave me be... 


	3. Mirages of the Mind

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**Hey!** So Just some thanks out to my wonderful three reviewers so far!

Akai Chou: Dude, you're awesome! You always review i love you! I can't really think of anything else to say so I'll just sit here in stunned silence! Woohoo!

Lonewolf486: Hah, you always review, i love you! Work on your stories! Haha yeah right like you would do that eh? Well anyhow...What's a corndog doin in the middle of da Ocean! o.O

Mazzle D: You reviewed wow! You actually have comments on the story, i like it when people say what they like and what their fav parts were, keep doing it, afterall i am the Vampire God Master...I love you! Woohoo!

Oi Shinobi!

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**Chapter III: Mirages of the Mind **

There he sat just as always. Faithful seat number 27, situated towards the back of the bus on the left side. He hated the bus ride to and from school; one thing about buses is that no matter how far back you sit you can never escape the horrible racket generated from the rest of the bus populous.

The younger children screamed and squealed, shouting in each other's ears even though their friends were really only one seat away. The anorexic girls with the 80-dollar jeans sprayed their god-awful perfume so much that they could make a sea of wretched scents. Those girls were just like those perfumes; made with artificial ingredients to pose as something that they're not. And another similarity to their various sprays is that they're only good in small doses… Ah yes, can't forget the stoners. They were either going on about nothing or were riding the last waves of their early morning highs. There were the quiet kids, the mean kids, his bus was filled with diversity. Of course it also gave him a killer headache, kind of like the one he was experiencing now. He sighed and sunk down into his seat, staring dully out the window at the passing scenery.

His day seemed to be getting worse every minute. He had nearly missed the bus this morning, having fallen asleep on the couch downstairs. He had just woken up when the bus rolled up to his bus stop in front of his two-story house. While sprinting out the door he had nearly fell flat on his face but managed to stay on his feet. His bus driver was a fat and mean woman. Her dark curly hair only accented her cruel smile as she drove away, leaving you behind even if she saw you coming. She gave him one hell of a death glare when he stumbled up the bus steps. He was surprised she hadn't shut the doors in his face and drove off, leaving him just as he reached the door.

Dallet sighed again, bending down to tie his shoes out of boredom. He was wearing loose denim jeans, secured around his slim waist by a black metal studded belt. His fairly tight T-shirt was black with a silver gargoyle on the front and the words 'Cold as Stone' printed across the back. On his right wrist he wore his black wristband that had a neon green 'Fox Racing' logo on it. On his left hand was the watch his mom had gotten him for his birthday ages ago. He wore a necklace with a cool looking random design, he wasn't really sure if it meant anything though; he only bought it because he thought it looked cool. The chain of the necklace looked like black barbed wire. And the shoes, whose laces he was currently retying, were black Adidas' with three yellow stripes.

Altogether he looked pretty good, but he certainly didn't feel too great. He felt nauseated and tired; his eyes seemed to be going in and out of being blurry and clear. And for some reason the perfume and smell of weed and crack seemed even more potent than what he usually had to endure.

The girl in the seat across from his reached over and lightly touched his arm; her concern was evident in her stare, "Dallet? You ok? You look pretty fucked up."

He lazily turned his head to look at her. The girl's name was Laura; she had dark red hair and brown eyes, tons of freckles were scattered across her nose and cheeks. She was one of those naturally caring people, always kind and nice to others. But today was one day Dallet was wishing she'd just shut up and mind her own damn business because her voice was ringing painfully in his ears.

Laura gently shook his shoulder again, trying to ignore his disturbing empty stare, "Dallet you look terrible! You're not on drugs or anything are you?"

He scoffed and leaned his head back against his seat, "No, I never have and never will do drugs. I'm just in need of some sleep."

She seemed to believe his excuse and smiled, "Well you shouldn't stay up so late then…oh my god what happened to you!" She sprang forward and took a good look at the darkening bruise around his neck.

Dallet moaned and shoved her hands away, "I… woke up with that so I don't know myself. Now would you please leave me alone your voice is giving me a headache."

Slightly insulted, she frowned and did as he requested, "I really hope you feel better Dallet. This is not like you at all…" She cast him one last concerned glance and sat back in her seat.

Dallet groaned and rubbed his temples in an attempt to rid himself of the painful throbbing, but it didn't seem to help in the least. Giving up he closed his eyes and waited for the bus to make it to school.

Why did it seem like everything was out to get him today? Dallet cursed and tried to open his locker yet again, and again it did not budge.

"Dammit!" He kicked it and tried once more.

After five more tries it finally sprang open, granting him access to his school things. He stared at his locker's contents hatefully, knowing that his classes would just make things worse for him.

"What a fucking great day this has been so far…" He bent down and gathered what he needed, and then after slamming his locker door as loudly as he could for revenge against it (which he quickly regretted due to the horrendous pain it caused in his head) he sauntered off towards his first period class.

Of course…. not before noticing an odd sight outside as he passed one of the large windows lining the hallway, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. Outside towards the track field, perched upon the railing, were two girls. They were too far away for him to distinguish any features, but the odd thing was that they seemed to be glowing. The one gave off a red light while the other gave off a black glow. He couldn't help but stand there transfixed at the abnormal sight.

"Nnnnnn…." He shuddered when an odd sensation rocked his body. He reached up and felt the earring; it was pulsating. He returned his gaze to the two females once more, his thoughts returning to his earlier experience.

Suddenly Dallet felt someone behind him. He quickly turned around only to be put into a headlock.

"Lemme go! Dammit that hurts! Stop!" Dallet struggled and managed to push away from his attacker, falling back into the wall panting. He whimpered in pain as he lightly massaged his badly bruised neck.

"Jesus Dallet, what the hell happened? I wasn't trying to kill you."

Dallet looked up as the person who had put him in the headlock approached him and put steadying hands on his shoulders, asking worriedly, "Are you alright Dallet? Your neck says otherwise so don't lie."

Dallet smiled and stood up straight, "Viole you rich bastard what the hell were you thinking pulling that shit this early in the morning."

Viole snorted and flicked Dallet in the forehead while his other hand rested on his hip.

Viole was a fairly tall and good-looking fellow. He had always lived comfortably being the son of two wealthy parents, but he wasn't a snob about it. He and Dallet had been friends since they were tiny tots. His hair was lustrous and long, his pale purple waves reaching down to his mid back. His long bangs were parted off to the left, almost covering his eye while the rest of his hair was secured mid length with a black ribbon. He was very intelligent and had a sophisticated air about him. Since his family was wealthy his parents sent him to the best Violin and music teachers around; to this day Dallet had not heard of anyone being able to best Viole at playing the piano, clarinet, or violin…especially the violin. The young man of 17 even knew 3 languages aside from English: French, Italian, and German. After years of being pushed into different dance schools, Viole knew as many dances as he did words in his extensive vocabulary. His dress today consisted of dark gray trousers, a deep violet blouse, and expensive black leather shoes.

"Well had I known you'd freak out like a traumatized child I would've settled for tripping you."

Dallet rolled his eyes and looked back out the window, those girls were still there.

"What are you looking at?" Viole appeared beside him, he too staring out at towards where the girls were, "Who are they?"

"I don't know! Look at them they're glowing isn't that weird!"

Viole glanced over with a raised eyebrow, "Uh, Dallet my dear friend I think you've been hit in the head one too many times. I assure you nothing is glowing."

Dallet was shocked, how could he not see them glowing? He looked back out at them; both of them still gave off their red and black glow.

"Viole are you blind, you're telling me you can't see the black and red glow they're giving off?"

Viole looked out at the girls and then back to his friend, "Dallet did someone slip you some narcotics, they are not glowing. Are you positive you're alright?"

Dallet gulped, trying to figure out how to get out of this one. First off he had a horrible looking bruise that people were already giving him a hard time about, and now he was seeing things that no one else could. He assumed perhaps it was best to keep his mouth shut for a while.

Quickly Dallet mustered up some nervous laughter, "I must still be sleeping. Well I better be off to class now Viole, I'll talk to you later."

Dallet was just about to sprint down the hall towards first period when Viole grabbed his arm. Dallet's eyes followed the hand clutching his arm all the way up to its owner's stern and calm face.

Viole still gazed out the window as he spoke, "Dallet, I know something troubles you. I do hope you will find me a suitable confidant. I will not judge you in an ill manner, I hope you still trust in our friendship and in me enough to tell me what is wrong." Without another word Viole released him and walked down the hall, one hand in his pocket while the other held his books.

Dallet was flabbergasted, never had Viole done something like that. Dallet squinted as he watched his friend's back as he walked away. He squinted harder; he could barely make out a distortion of space wavering around Viole. What was it? Again his earring sent a tingling sensation down his spine. Dallet wondered what powers it possessed as he turned and headed for his first period.

The day flew by surprisingly fast, of course not without its difficulties. After first period Dallet had tripped and sent his math notes flying about the hallway. If it wasn't for Chesta stopping and helping him pick up his stuff, he was sure he would have been late for his next period. Then during his third class the hazy distortion he saw around Viole starting appearing around everyone, although this time the hazy clouds all had tints of different colors to them. When the last bell of the day rang and everyone was dismissed, Dallet was relieved.

As the rest of the student body gathered what they needed for home from their lockers, Dallet was already outside waiting at the usual spot for the rest of his friends to emerge from the school. For as long as he could remember, he and his friend's always gathered at the same spot every day after school for a brief chat before they went home. It was in the little grassy courtyard nestled off to the left of the four glass double doors that led from the school to the parking lot. He was casually leaning against the shaded trunk of one of the three dogwood trees planted there, his backpack slung carelessly to the ground beside him. He waited patiently, scanning the masses of his fellow students for his friends as everyone scurried off to the bus or vehicle that would eventually take them home, the sound of shuffling feet and plentiful conversations filling the air as the parking lot came to life. He was happy that the colored auras around everyone had faded away by the time his last class rolled around, but he still felt terrible and his senses were still extremely heightened. He never realized how badly his school reeked until today.

He scowled and sighed, "Wow, they're usually here by now, I wonder what's taking them so damn long…"

He continued looking over the faces of the students pouring out of the school, hopefully searching for one of the more familiar faces of his friends. Still he saw not one of them. He scratched his head as he wondered what exactly was keeping them. Perhaps they were playing a joke on him? He didn't know so he just stayed where he was and continued to wait for them. He desperately wanted to get absorbed into their usual friendly and fun banter, after all that had happened to him earlier he was willing to par take in anything that would take his mind off of those terrifying events. Not to mention that the entire day he had a horrendous headache and he felt extremely weak and dizzy. So there he stood, waiting and waiting. Surely at least one of them would've shown up by now, but still nothing.

Dallet shifted uncomfortably, the heat of the afternoon causing him to sweat as he stared on at the many faces. He moaned and closed his eyes for a second when a sudden wave a pain pulsated through his head, but as soon as he opened them once more he gasped as he spotted one person in particular burst through the double doors, heading the same way as everyone else. Dallet could already feel his stomach start to flutter, his throat clench, and his heart race. Who was this person you ask…Her name was Leena Tauriguez…the very same girl who Dallet had a die-hard crush on for nearly 4 years.

Miss Leena was a senior, just one grade higher than Dallet. She was fairly tall with beautiful sun kissed skin. Thanks to her ethnicity Leena had a permanent gorgeous tan. Dallet was pretty sure that her natural hair color was a rich dark brown, but for as long as he had known her, her hair had always been the same light cotton candy pink color as it was to this very day. Her eyes were large and energetic, not to mention the brightest blue you could ever imagine. Her figure was perfect, long and powerful slender legs, full hips, flat toned stomach, nice ass, and she was also well endowed. Dallet was convinced Leena had the most perfect rack he had ever seen. There wasn't a trace of fat on her body, in fact she was actually pretty muscular, but not freakishly so. But…although Leena looked may have looked seemingly nice, sweet, and a bit on the rebellious side…. in actuality she was one mean Latina Senorita. She had the attitude and temper of 100 angry bulls, was constantly in street fights, and was also a pro gambler. Leena's luck at any kind of card game was uncanny. An undefeated master at playing cards, her nickname was the 'The Queen of Hearts,' not only for her game but for her many admirers. One thing Leena hated above all else was to lose, but she never had to worry about that since never once had she lost any kind of card game to anyone…until recently.

Before, Dallet had been a nobody to Leena, just some other underclassman who attended the same school as her. Sure she could match his name to his face but that was about it. But one night, that all changed. Dallet and his friends had been invited to yet another huge party thrown by god only knows whom. They never knew who threw the parties but they always went anyway. Dallet remembered that night vividly…

**--Flash Back--**

The one story house was packed. They had arrived 20 minutes ago and already his friends had disserted him and gone off on their own. Dallet found it damn near impossible to squeeze through the masses of people drinking, dancing, or just standing around and talking. But to him they seemed miles away. He was focused on one thing, finding Leena. He knew she and her friends had been invited and he was planning on tonight being the night that he tried making some moves on the girl.

One of his friends was headed towards him, excusing his way through the crowd. Dallet shook himself out of his daydream when his good buddy Chesta placed a hand on his shoulder beaming at him.

Chesta was yet another one of Dallet's good friends. Chesta was one of those guys that on your first time meeting him, you felt like you could trust him with your deepest darkest secret. He had an angelic face and an almost innocent look to him, of course his vibrant and sincere blue teal eyes only made him more likeable. He was about medium height with light blonde hair that framed his handsome elven face. His wasn't overly built but he definitely wasn't weak. He had a calm and gentle nature, but he could easily turn from lamb to lion in an instant if he felt he had to. Loyal to his friends, considerate, eager to resolve an argument, helpful, fun, energetic…. ok bottom line: Chesta was a damn good reliable buddy who always had your back.

Chesta continued smiling brightly as he teasingly straightened out Dallet's white tank top and brushed non-existent dirt off his black jeans.

Dallet smacked his hands away, "Chesta what the fuck are you doing."

Chesta grinned, "Well Dallet, do you WANT to look like a loser in front of Leena? After all I did just a few seconds ago happen upon her in the basement playing a game of poker with a big group of people. I kinda figured if you played a round with her that would at least put you on her map. But since you're obviously having a much better time skulking around up here, I think I'll just go grab myself a drink…" Chesta was about to head out towards the kitchen when Dallet grabbed his arm.

"H-hey, do you really think I look alright? I mean, think she'll just laugh at me….?"

Chesta sensed his friends tone of uncertainty and quickly slapped him on the back in reassurance, "Come on, the Dallet I know is a confident lady killer who would have many a clever catch phrase ready to be tossed out to any unsuspecting female. Dallet you look fine, now are you going to go down and at least let her know you exist or are you going to stay up here all night? You've liked her since you were in the 8th grade and you've never said anything to her, come on…"

Dallet took a deep breath and smiled, "lead the way!"

In no time Dallet found himself in the crowd surrounding the table where the game of cards was taking place. As usual no one had managed to even coming close to beating Leena.

Dallet gulped nervously as Leena laid down the winning hand for that game, her two best friends Rosita and Nikki standing behind her like two bodyguards. Rosita was sort of short with long straight black hair and blue green eyes and sister to Nikki. To Dallet she always seemed happy and playful, but boy did she get mean if you spoiled her fun or insulted one of her buddies. Nikki on the other hand was quiet and sarcastic with really short black hair and green eyes.

The other three players groaned, one of the boys threw down his hand angrily and stormed out of the room cursing at the amount of money he had just lost.

Chesta nudged Dallet in the ribs, "Go on man, here's your chance, take a seat and don't fuck up. You'll do fine."

Dallet forced a confident grin and proceeded to slide casually into the now vacant seat at the playing table. He looked around the table at his other two opponents aside from Leena. To his left was a girl named Natasha, she had long blonde hair and money green eyes. She was a senior and had a suave silky attitude and was a fan of expensive jewelry. On his right was a guy in his own grade named Higen. Higen was Japanese with black hair and dark brown eyes; his style was more towards the punker look as he took another drag of his nearly done for cigarette. And then of course there was Leena, looking as hot and sassy as she usually did.

Dallet eyed them all and smiled as he slid the discarded hand in front of him towards Higen who was preparing to shuffle the deck, "You guys don't mind if I try my luck tonight do you?"

Natasha examined her nails uninterested, "I don't care as long as you at least know what you're doing love."

Higen smiled, "I'll play with anyone man, a games a game."

Dallet's eyes traveled over to Leena who had her arms crossed and a challenging look in her eyes. For a second Dallet couldn't move his mouth, "…. And… do you have any objections Miss Queen of Hearts?" Dallet did his best not to visibly shake as he waited for her answer. He had to fight to keep control over himself or else he'd be shaking nervously and stuttering like a fool and blushing under her intense stare.

Leena snorted and leaned forward smirking, "You wanna take me on it's your money to throw away. Why would anyone complain about easy money?"

Natasha glared at Leena, "Hmph, you sound rather confident as usual Leena. One of these days your luck will run out, I just hope it's me who gets the honor of doing so."

Leena cocked her head mockingly, he let down pink waves moving with her, "Bitch, I take you down every damn time so you go right ahead and moan about losing. Why don't you put all that attitude into the game so I don't have to listen to you bitch."

Dallet decided he might as well put in a line or two, "Ladies, let's just enjoy the game. Leena has every right to brag seeing as that she has the rep to back it up. She's never lost after all, isn't that right Leena?" Dallet smirked at her.

Natasha rolled her eyes and took up the cards Higen had just dealt.

Leena smirked back, "I think I like this kid."

Higen shook his head laughing, "Leena, I think you _like_ being praised and flattered it don't matter who by."

Dallet fought back a blush of success as he picked up his cards; the other's doing the same. Immediately the game commenced.

A few minutes later it was the moment of truth, Dallet had been buttering Leena up the entire game and was sure he had her favor. Once she beat him he planned on getting her away from the card table and out to the party where they could sit down and talk, and also earn some more brownie points with her. It was now down to Dallet and Leena. Dallet had been miraculously winning only due to dumb luck and hadn't really been trying at all, but some how he managed to stay in this long and was pretty certain Leena had him beat. Of course she never lost so it was only natural for him to think so. Leena had on a confident and arrogant smile as she laid down her hand, "Seems like I win amigo."

Leena was about to take her winnings when Dallet laid down his hand; everyone watching gasped and chatting erupted quite suddenly around them. Somehow Dallet had just beaten Leena. Leena THE undefeated card game Queen of hearts. Dallet just gained the reputation many would have died for. It took a few seconds for Dallet to realize what had just happened, and then it hit him.

He nearly died at the horrible glare Leena sent him; he could even see her trembling with anger as she regarded his hand and then looked back at her own, her defeat sorely setting in. He stammered and tried to think of something to say, "L-Leena, I, I didn't mean, I, wow, look at that. It's gotta be a fluke. I wasn't even trying, it's….it's a fluke! I….don't even know how to play good….I swear I wasn't trying to beat you….I…"

At this point Leena had nearly flipped the table over as she knocked the cards off the table and stood up smoldering with anger.

"Shut the fuck up! Do you know what you just did? Huh? Do you! My spotless reputation has been ruined! And by who! Someone who wasn't even trying! Some stupid kid! No one beats me! NO ONE! ARGggg!" She backed up and managed to knock her chair over, "I should beat the shit out of you for this humiliation! I CAN'T believe this! How do you like humiliating me in front of all these people huh!" She was about to do just that but her friends grabbed her arms and held her back.

Dallet stood up utterly horrified at what he had just done, "Leena I'm sorry, it's not like I did it on purpose, I-I'd never try to humiliate you! Christ I think you're one of the coolest girls around!" His defense was useless as Leena strained to get free of her friends' grip and attack him.

Nikki glared as she spoke to Dallet, "You better get your ass outta here, Leena hates losing and she'll kick your ass as soon as we let her go. She holds grudges so you better leave."

Dallet shook his head mumbling incoherently as Chesta grabbed his arm, "Dallet we better get out of here, this isn't good…."

"R-right…"

Chesta hurriedly drug Dallet out of the house and left the party in his car. The whole ride home Dallet was cursing himself and regretting his very existence. The one girl he ever dare he say loved, now wanted him dead.

**--End Flash back--**

That incident happened only a few nights ago and since then Leena had done nothing but been hateful towards him. He stiffened when she glanced over and caught his eye. He quickly looked away but he knew it was too late. He could already hear her posse demanding people to make way as Leena's destination changed from the parking lot, to him. Her steps were powerful and tense, the only thing keeping her from running at him her tight leather mini skirt. Dallet gulped as he looked up, his own helpless stare connecting with Leena's furious blue beacons. He knew he was a fool to still have a crush on her but he couldn't help himself even thought she'd rather see him hung then be seen with him on a date. Even as she hauled ass towards him most likely going to corner him and harass him, to Dallet she was still perfect.

His eyes traced over her every detail as they always had when she was close by. Sadly now her face was contorted in anger and her hands were balled into fists. He studied her face; her lips were still lush and inviting, her lip-gloss making them even more noticeable. Her eyes blazed with emotion. His eyes moved downward, he grinned at the more seductive image of the queen of hearts on her white tank top. Dallet knew from years of studying Leena from afar that almost every piece of clothing she owned had something to do with gambling on it. Of course by staring at what was on her shirt he also stared at her chest. Sighing wistfully he took in her whole appearance. She possessed a sexy and wild beauty, her muscles visible as they sinewed under lovely bronzed skin. He knew she could kick his ass without a problem, and he wasn't even going to fight back if she did.

Dallet sighed and accepted the fact that there was a chance he'd go home with a black eye. But the pain would be nothing compared to his self hate, "Well….I guess this is the day I get my heart ripped out and fed to me…." He suddenly reeled in pain when he felt like he was being prodded with hot pokers; he looked up and noticed the angry pulsating red aura that had suddenly appeared and surrounded Leena. He whimpered again when another painful wave rocked through his body.

He stood up taller and tried to hide his pain as Leena and her two cronies surrounded him at the tree.

Leena sneered, "Well well chicas, look who it is. You know something, the amount of humiliation you caused me that night is something I can never get rid of. So now I got people I never even seen before coming up to me and rubbing it in my fucking face, that I lost not only to a junior, but also to a kid who wasn't even a pro! You best not ever walk around my neighborhood at night boy or else I'll kick your ass up and down the street. GOD! I can't believe this!"

Dallet had a painful look in his eyes and felt dizzy as Leena raised a fist, he was sure she was going to take her anger out on him. He wasn't too worried though, surely anything she was about to do to him wouldn't be able to compare to the agony he was already experiencing. Before Leena could strike, suddenly Dallet's friends appeared behind him.

Chesta spoke up first as he took a defensive position in front of Dallet, "You know you have no right harassing him like this. He won fair and square accept it. Just let it go."

Viole crossed his arms and regarded Leena with distaste, "Indeed, your actions are quite like that of a fussing child, we have no meaningful quarrel with you miss. I request you leave our friend alone, he's apologized repeatedly and that alone should be sufficient for you loss."

Leena glared at them both and then glared at Dallet, making him shudder in pain from the force of the negative energy and emotions she was creating and sending out, "Whatever! Let's go girls!" With that all three turned and headed for their buses. Suddenly the pain Dallet felt was gone but he still felt dizzy and faint.

Dallet slumped down against the tree and hung his head not only in shame, but also from exhaustion, "I fucked up pretty bad….heh, the girl I like hates my fucking guts…my day keeps getting better and better…"

Chesta kneeled in front of him and placed a comforting hand on his back, "Cheer up man, there's plenty of girls out there. There's plenty of girls who already have crushes on you now."

Dallet groaned, "I know! But I don't care!"

Viole sighed and leaned against the tree, "Dallet, I really don't know what you can do to make things neutral with Miss. Tauriguez… She's not going to let this go…. It's best to move on although it is all unfortunate…"

Dallet sighed and moaned in frustration, trying to calm down his trembling cold hands.

"Dallet, you're going to miss your bus if you don't get a move on it…"

"I'll just walk home Chesta, you guys go ahead, I feel sick and dizzy right now so I'll just… chill here until it dies down…"

Chesta and Viole exchanged looks before saying their goodbyes and departing.

Dallet watched them go, thankful for having them as friends. He wanted to tell them about everything that had transpired that morning, but he was too afraid they would laugh or think he was crazy…. well crazier.

He put a hand to his face and winced, "Dammit! What the hell is happening to me!"

Moaning in defeat he let himself fall over in the grass and closed his eyes, dots of the sunlight that had made it through the tree foliage dancing over his weakened form. Many questions filled his brain: Why was he so sensitive to everything? Why did he see colored mists around people? Why did he feel so drained and tired? Where did those orbs go? Would they fill him in? Was it because of the earring? What about those girls he saw earlier? Was he anemic? Would he be safe if he fell asleep? Why could he be affected by people's emotions? Why was his life so terrible? Do they make a Tylenol for this kind of headache and pain? Why did God decide he deserved this torture?……. …Was Leena's ass as firm as it appeared to be?…..(sweat drop)…

As Dallet raced through all the possible answers to his ponderings, his eyelids slowly started becoming heavier and heavier. Soon everything was nothing but a fog and he fell into a slumber born from the strain he had endured all day. The wind picked up and sent a gentle breeze that tousled his hair, Dallet was utterly unaware that he was being watched.

* * *

Well, it might be awhile, don't worry ill be working on my other stories too. Yes, most of the esca ppl will be popping up! Dilandau is usually in all my fics, you don't have to worry bout that. Constantine is a great moive you gowjos better go get it so i can come steal it from you. If you review I'll love?...Will you review...muffin? 


	4. Fabrication or Fact

**Chapter IV: Fabrication or Fact **

In the part of the land where the Kashir, the foul beings that do not associate with the other elemental beings of Gaea, resided the atmosphere had always been blood red for as long as anyone could remember. It was an unexplained phenomenon since only on the southern side of the world was the sky red. To those who had never been there before, if they were of a weak spirit, upon their first time beholding it they would be overcome with a feeling of dread and possibly consumed by a murderous rage.

It was as if the blood from an endless number of massacred warriors had evaporated and stained the sky that color. The other beings said this was why the Kashir had made the southern lands their territory and the large island off the southern coast their capital city of Zaibach, enjoying the bloody coloring. Even the very clouds were a lighter shade of red. All of the precipitation they created was always tinted red from the reflection of the sky, making it even seem like it rained blood. During the daytime in the Lost Lands, as the other beings of the Gaea called it due to the Kashir being their enemies most of the time, the sky glowed brightly as the sun made its way across the sky. Only during the night could you escape the red, for the twin moons gave off a blue silvery glow making the night sky a brilliant bluish purple when the sun took its leave.

The Mystic moon was always visible in the sky during both day and night, this moon not only served as a source of light during the nightly hours, but it was also the fabled realm of humans. It was said that sometimes when a collection of ethereal energy built up in the upper atmosphere, a beam of light would pierce the sky and serve as a means of teleportation to the mortal world. However, this mysterious occurrence happened rarely and was nearly impossible to predict when and where the next pillar would occur. Many races, mostly the Kashir, tried desperately to learn how to harness the ability of the pillars of light. Mortals were weak and could easily be taken control of. Also if a demon were to eat the flesh of a mortal, the demon's life span would increase 200 years. Nevertheless, eating mortals was not the main motive of discovering the secret of the pillars, although it would be a nice afterthought once their other ambitions were achieved. After several years of research and study the Kashir had indeed managed to invent a means of creating a portal to the mortal realm utilizing the ethereal energy that created the natural pillars of light. Unfortunately the technology used to create these portals was highly unstable and only two portals could be made each year, opening for only three minutes.

The cities of the Kashir ranged from uncivilized to technologically advanced. As of now the High Kashir of Zaibach were considered one of the most technologically advanced groups. Their seemingly immortal Emperor Dornkirk still ruling over the many Kashir clans of the south contributed most of what was needed to achieve such advances with his vast inventive intelligence. The capital city of Zaibach was a dark place, the sun rarely being able to pierce the heavy barrier of storm clouds that overhung the island. The city had many impressive architectural designs. The buildings themselves were all constructed from durable dark materials. The energy lights of the city made a permanent yellow glow that enveloped the entire area. Zaibach was a dangerous place to outsiders, the city itself unwelcoming and intimidating. Huge black spires with various spike looking protrusions surrounded the entire premises of the island, serving as lightning rods for the never ceasing lightning storms. The Kashir there were all high class, a few lower class Kashir and other races were kept as slaves and laborers. In the center of the island was the huge towering capital building where the Emperor Dornkirk and his minions and forces resided, three of the six floating fortresses docked there. It was indeed an ominous looking place from afar with its yellow glow and the visible cackling lightning bolts that continuously struck the rods nonstop minute to minute.

The Zaibach Empire of the Kashir was only a portion of what made up the world of higher beings, Gaea. Although the various races of Kashir occupied the southern lands, great empires of vast power existed elsewhere. Each elemental race occupied a part of Gaea as great nations. These were the mystical beings born at the dawn of time, this was the realm beneath the realm of the Gods. Gaea was a place of magic and things far beyond the concepts of any human. It is due to the pillars and Gaeans sometimes being transported to Earth that mythological creatures were etched into human legend.

However…occupying the center of the vast main continent Valaz was a sacred area. A circular ocean known as the Sea of Ages, and right smack in the middle of the Sea of Ages was a small continent called The Eye of the Gods that no one could get to. Any who tried were killed by an unknown force. The large island could not be seen from the shores of Valaz due to a thick misty collection of unique ethereal energy, a transparent energy shimmering with a silvery blue radiance. It was said that the island was the last remaining ancient land made by the Gods and Goddesses who had created Gaea and Earth. Surrounding this sacred land was an ancient prophecy written by the hands of the Gods, but this prophecy was protected by a small race called the Cloud people, the oldest and secluded of all the races with the ability to see the past, present, and future.

One week before present…

…A high demon stared dully from a large balcony attached to the Capital building. He gazed beyond the city of Zaibach and towards the Sethis Ocean, able to see the lights from a distant coastal city. A powerful gust blew by, sending spiky pale blue green bangs across his face as the wind carried his long ponytail. Cold red eyes narrowed as the tortured screams of a woman could be heard from the room on the other side of nearby doors. He sighed distastefully as he turned and faced the tall double doors, each one possessing immense weight and carved with various intricate designs. Even the heavy wrought iron handles were in the shapes of serpentine wyrms. With steps as graceful as a feline's he approached them, his black cape bellowing behind him as he proceeded, revealing the outfit underneath. He wore a combination of black robes with a tight black trench coat like top, the collar reaching just below his neck and black straps with silver buckles across his mid section. He was wearing light black armor on his shoulders and dark silver form-fitting gauntlets covered the entirety of both arms. The parts that covered his hands formed lethal claws. The only part of him left uncovered was his head. His face was almost white, as was the color of the rest of his lithe yet muscular body. His expression was emotionless and his red eyes were piercing and keen. His ears were slightly pointed and on both he wore six silver hoops. He looked like he was wearing black eye shadow and eyeliner, but what looked like makeup was actually natural designs on his skin. Under his right eye were black detailed designs forming the shape of a teardrop. Tall and powerful, Folken made his way into the room, the doors before him opening and granting him access by force of his will. He continued in a bit more before stopping as the echo of the doors closing shut reverberated throughout the darkened room.

He could hear the rasping breaths of the woman more clearly now, obviously this session had proved more difficult for her to resist. The room was large, the walls and floor a highly polished black marble. In each of the six corners were carved columns portraying a demonic God and Goddess, made from various power enhancing materials, including minerals, bones, and other talismans. The only source of light was the skylight which shone down from the middle of the room, illuminating a hunched over young woman in the middle of a large circular design on the floor which was pulsating purple, the symbols within the circle were pulsating a darker purple. Four elders, two male and two female, were sitting Indian style around the glowing circle and the woman within it. All four of them from a race of powerful demon psychics called the Jareed, which was a species of demon whose mystic and psychic capabilities rivaled that of the Cloud Tribe. Folken continued walking again until he was standing right behind one of the psychic demonesses, observing their progress.

All of the demon psychics wore gray and dark gold robes draped over their small hunched frames. The hair of the old women was up in high braided ponytails that, should they have been standing up, would end at their ankles. Their skin was naturally a dark tan and very wrinkled with passage of the centuries. Various curly fuchsia markings covered their gaunt faces and withered arms, extending to their long ears. Their hands were clasped together in a prayer like position as their three eyes glowed purple. On their ears they wore large bone earrings, from the smell Folken could tell they were made from a rare sort of bird called the Talaraca whose bones enhanced psychic powers. The men were the same only their demon markings were a maroon and their eyes glowed a rustic purple. Their heads were bald as well. All four of them wore large Talaraca bone amulets around their necks and jaderis bands, a gem which increased foresight and clarity, around their wrists and ankles. All were currently chanting.

Folken observed as the woman in the circle writhed in pain as the four elders started to chant faster. Her name was Sora, a young high priestess of the Cloud tribe. The Kashir had captured her in order to learn more about the fabled prophecy, and they succeeded at doing so. Although her mental powers were astounding, she could not defend the secrets of her mind against the four older and experienced Jareed, and thus ended up revealing bits of the prophecy the more they weakened her. For weeks they had been at it, as of now they knew most of it, but still needed the rest. So again Sora's mind was to be invaded and assaulted until her mental defenses failed and she revealed everything they needed to know.

Sora cried out again, her fair skin covered in sweat as she tried to keep her mind closed off to the vicious assault of the four Kashir attempting to pry into the deepest and most well protected portions of her mind. For about a month they had been weakening her, making it easier to break her strong resistance. Their power circle was not only used as a prison, it also was used to make it easier to invade her mind as two of the psychics attacked her defenses while the other two extracted the information. She managed to open her eyes and spotted Folken observing her torture. For the length of her imprisonment in the city she soon discovered that Lord Folken could be merciful, but just as quickly cruel. He gave her the chance to simply tell them what they wanted to know, but she told him that she could do no such thing. He was always courteous but cold, and when she again refused to tell what she knew by her own free will, he told her what would happen. She knew she couldn't trust anyone here, but she could not help but feel herself being allured by him. She knew although he might show a bit of kindness, behind his entrancing voice was the heart of a demon, a demon who would do whatever was necessary to get what he wanted. As was evident of her current situation.

She groaned and pushed herself to her knees, looking up into his eyes; he did not look away. His voice was deliciously silky and comforting to hear as pain coursed through her body.

"Sora, why must you be so difficult? Yield the little information that we ask and we can end this painful experience. All you have to do is give us the rest of the prophecy, tell us how to find the key Sora."

She could feel his power starting to take hold of her. She did her best to resist and shook her head, "F-Folken, I will not fall under your spell… You must understand, I cannot betray my clan's secret. By doing so I will have failed and be exiled. But no one fully understands the nature of what the prophecy tells, you don't know what havoc you could be unleashing!" She screamed as the psychics took advantage of her distraction and pushed harder into her mind.

One of the female demon psychics stopped chanting momentarily, her voice hoarse and snake like, "My lord, her defenses are about to crumble…."

Sora cried out and fought as hard as she could to protect herself, but her exhaustion was making itself known as her endurance was giving out. Tears started to fall from her eyes as she knew that this was it, she could no longer fight off their assaults and they would soon be able to take from her the information they desired. Failure to defend the clan's secret was exile. Soon she would be broken and homeless; soon she would give the Kashir information that would lead to bloodshed and death. She rose to her knees and threw back her head as her mental strength caved in and their presence infiltrated her mind and all it knew.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sora's scream boomed throughout the room as she fell back, eyes wide and dilated, tears cascading down her cheeks. She had failed, but perhaps not all was lost…for she knew the night before this session of torture that her strength would be drained within a few more days of prying, and she would no longer be able to protect the prophecy. So instead of prolonging the inevitable, she used what little power she had left and sent forth a powerful mental wave to those who could be trusted, summoning beings capable of protecting the key.

As the four psychics absorbed all they needed to know, one of the male's eyes returned to normal when he read over her recollection of her recent memory, "My lord, she has summoned someone, to 

who or what we do not know. We can only assume she has informed them of what she knows of our plan…"

Folken's eyes narrowed, "So you know not who she connected to, but you do figure they will eventually interfere…?"

The male nodded which caused Folken to grin and kneel by her head, "Now now, I must admire your cleverness, but whoever you just contacted will die at our hands if they interfere. Do you like sending people to their deaths? Nothing will stop us, we will find the key."

Sora rolled over onto her stomach and pushed herself onto all fours, looking up through her snowy bangs as blood seeped from her nose, "M-my clan will have sensed my failure…they…have already released the Kuminjinek…to go and destroy the key as a failsafe…"

Folken brushed her bangs behind her elvin ears, "Then why did you bother to summon would be guardians for the key?"

She looked up at the light above her, "Because…this land has been bathed in the blood of war for centuries…I am tired…of the bloodshed and death…if I can spare but one poor innocent life who was born into something they could not choose to decline or accept, then I…will have managed to somewhat repent for what I have just unleashed upon that poor innocent…you will now hunt for the key…won't you?" Her gaze returned to Folken.

Folken stood again and looked to the four Psychics, "You four, go tell the Emperor what you've just learned, do not forget to inform him that our little shamaness has summoned for help to protect the key…I shall deal with Lady Sora."

The four nodded and disappeared into the shadows, light pouring into the room as they left through another set of doors. As soon as the doors closed, Folken returned his attention to Sora, who simply sat back on her heels with her arms limp at her sides. Her robes were pooled around her, the neckline now stained with the blood from her still bleeding nose. Folken continued to watch her for a few moments, her eyes dull and still dilated as her lips quivered from shock.

He sighed and waved a hand through the air, immediately the power circle dissolved, "Are you able to walk?"

She looked up at him incredulously, "Walk? I have been exiled by my clan, where am I to walk to? I have no home; I hope that it is to my death I shall walk Folken. You and your kind will bring devastation, I can sense it. I have no more reason to be here, I have failed my purpose."

Folken smiled and extended a hand from under the folds of his cape, "I believe you will be very useful to us Sora, come join me, you have no more reason to resist. The Kashir will give you a place here among us. You are under my rule now Sora, come and aid the future of the worlds."

Sora started to shake as she regarded his offered hand, knowing that by taking it she would take his offer. Could she really do that? Her clan would kill her on sight if she tried to return to them. Perhaps now this high demon before her was the only one who thought her existence meant something. She closed her eyes and frowned solemnly; no, perhaps she did have a chance to right what she had done and repent…but for now she would have to remain loyal to Lord Folken until she could figure out what to do…and for some reason she was glad she got to stay with him. She had always been warned that Demons were seductive creatures, no matter.

Folken smiled as he watched Sora reach out a trembling hand to take his. He grasped hers in his and pulled her to her feet, about to collapse, he scooped her into his arms.

She couldn't help but look into his eyes once more before falling into unconsciousness, "Lord…Folken…I will stay and serve you…for sparing my life…" With that her eyes closed and her head lolled back. Folken closed his eyes and turned as a swirling black mist spiraled around him; soon they disappeared from sight.

**--Meanwhile on Earth--**

Dallet moaned and sat up rubbing his eyes. Yawning, he looked around at his surrounding trying to figure out where he was, "…The…school?…Fuck I fell asleep!"

Realization hit him and he jumped to his feet. He looked up at the sky trying to get a bearing on how late it was. It looked to him like the sun had just gone down so he was going to assume somewhere around 7 o clock. Grabbing his backpack he started to jog in the direction of his house.

"What the FUCK was I thinking saying I'll just walk home. Dallet you dumbass why'd you say that when you know your house is a good few miles away? It'll be around 8 when I get home and mom's probably freaking out! Shit I can't believe this, whatever possessed me to even think about walking home, and way to go on my part for falling asleep too!" He growled and jogged faster, not realizing he was being followed.

After a few minutes of jogging, he ran out of breath and gave up. He made it to the forest which he had used more than once as a short cut to get to his house, problem was it was now getting darker out and he wasn't sure if he could navigate his way through the fairly large woods…and he was scaredy cat. He looked back down the main street; if he took the road instead of the forest he would be home an hour later. But if he made quick pace through the woods he could make it home by 7:30. Making up his mind, he headed towards the forest line walking at a quickened speed.


End file.
